PANAMA CITY — Add a little flair to your Fourth of July celebrations by amping up your traditional grill-out menu with fresh takes on the classics.

“We’ve been pretty busy with Fourth of July coming up. Every place is rented out,” Leia Mayer said on Monday at Bridge Span 14 (BridgeSpan14.com), which she owns with her husband, Andy Mayer, in CarillonBeach.

The organic restaurant, 105 Carillon Market St., is serving a 4th of July organic lunch menu Wednesday through July Fourth. On Wednesday and Thursday nights this week, they are booked for private events — “family get-togethers,” but also will be serving the menu from 6-9 p.m. July Fourth.

“French Potato Salad uses fresh herbs and a vinaigrette as opposed to any mayonnaise — very good,” Mayer added. “I just decided to take a classic Fourth of July menu and take it up to the next level and make it a little more unique.”

The menu includes a Jackman Wagyu Burger with Florida raised Wagyu beef (Jackmanwagyubeef.com), the American Kobe, topped with cheddar, tomato and greens.

“It is amazing, an all-natural beef, antibiotic-free, hormone-free with no additives and preservatives, so I really feel comfortable with using their products,” Mayer said. “I just started getting Crust (Artisan) Bakery in Santa RosaBeach to bake the bread to achieve the perfect burger.”

Fresh grilled vegetables are showcased on the Farmstand Grilled Vegetable Plate, available with grilled shrimp or chicken, served with Rosemary Dijon.

“We are getting our vegetables from a local farm that has been giving us lots of beautiful yellow squash, onions, heirloom tomatoes, eggplant and zucchini,” Mayer said. “We’re just putting some olive oil and salt and pepper on it and putting it right on our new char grill.”

The Fourth of July menu also includes ribs and corn on the cob, as well as coastal favorites — Grouper Salad and Crab Cakes with Cajun Lobster Sauce.

“My favorite food is really well-cooked ribs. I had a cookbook that taught me how to make this Georgia Tar Heel BBQ sauce, and I thought it was relevant now that I’m in the South,” said Mayer, who relocated from the Northern California region in February 2013.

Bridge Span 14 will be serving a Half Rack of Ribs slathered in the homemade sauce. The Organic Cuban Corn on the Cob is a fresh take on traditional grilled corn.

“Husk and desilk the corn, then grill it up, probably five to 10 minutes on each side till done,” Mayer said. “Then roll it in butter and sprinkle it with fresh chopped parsley, cilantro and lime juice, salt and pepper and Parmesan cheese. It’s really good, simple and light. Grilled corn is very popular at summer festivals on the West Coast, where vendors sell ears of fresh corn on the cob.”

CarillonBeach will have a festival atmosphere Friday. The Carillon Artisan Market will be going on from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., coinciding with the Groovin’ on the Green from 7-9 p.m. featuring Sonic Boom on the Village Green.

And if you need to cool off, Bridge Span also is serving Ocheesee Creamery (OcheeseeCreamery.com) ice cream.

“We have been making milkshakes and we have organic fresh strawberries, blueberries and mango we can add in,” Mayer said. “We are not going for any of the candy toppings, but make it light so you have a less guilty feeling.”

Shana Wolf, owner of Off the Vine makes a Raw & Organic Peach Dream dessert with “no cooking, dairy, flour or sugar” that is ready in 10 minutes.

“It’s simply Summer goodness that is totally healthy,” she said.

Her recipe for an Organic Strawberry, Banana and Cacao Ice Kream can be served almost instantly, or placed in the freezer for an hour or two.

“This will easily keep for a week in the freezer,” Wolf said.

Naturally-sweet watermelon also often accompanies July Fourth holidays and other summer get-togethers. Besides being refreshingly delicious, cold watermelon is an easy way to cool off and stay hydrated in the heat.

On Saturday, Executive Chef Konrad Jochum of Schooners and Spinnaker in Panama CityBeach served Vanilla Vinaigrette over watermelon, cantaloupe and honey dew melon during a cooking class at Somethin’s Cookin’ (SomethinsCookin.com).

For something a little tangier, Somethin’s Cookin’ owner Hannelore Holland’s recipe for Corn Salad with “fresh organic corn cut off the cob” is a light side that will take a starring role on any Fourth of July table.

“This is best made the day before. You can use organic corn or frozen corn kernels,” said Holland, who added that sugar is not necessary when using fresh sweet corn.

The bistro’s Black Eyed Pea Salad has been so popular that guests order it off the menu and get it to-go, but making it at home also is very easy. The recipe uses cans of black-eyed peas and green beans mixed with a few other ingredients and tossed in a simple dressing.

For an alternative to hot German potato salad, Holland likes to make a red potato salad with green onions, bacon and ranch dressing.

“It’s so easy and everybody loves it,” Holland said.

While most July Fourth cook-outs call for beef, the Pork Tenderloin Burger has been getting rave reviews in her cooking classes.

“I have only done it in class, but people have been asking for it, so I am going to have to put it on the menu,” she said.

The pork tenderloin is cut into pieces and pounded really thin before being seasoned and dipped in flour and beaten eggs. Holland’s next Pork Tenderloin Burger cooking class demonstration is Aug. 9.

“You dip it in twice to make crust — so good,” added Holland, who serves it with bacon, lettuce and tomato topped with Robert Rothschild Farms Hot & Spicy Remoulade Sauce. “It’s not that spicy, especially when mixed with everything.”

Pork Tenderloin Burger

1 pork tenderloin, cleaned

6 slices bacon, cooked

6 buns or ciabatta rolls

Lettuce

Tomatoes

Robert Rothschild Farms Hot & Spicy Remoulade Sauce

Flour for dusting

Cherchies Lemon Pepper Spicy Blend

Oil for frying

2 eggs, beaten

Cut tenderloin diagonally into 6 pieces. Pound each piece very thin between plastic wrap with a flat pounder. Season with Lemon Pepper Spicy Blend, dip in flour, then in egg, then in flour again. Quick fry in hot oil on both sides until nice and crispy. Spread spicy remoulade on bun. Top with meat, lettuce, tomato and bacon. Drizzle more remoulade over.

Whisk vinegar, salt and pepper (and sugar, if using frozen corn) in a small bowl. Gradually whisk in the oil. Shear off the corn kernels and toss in the tomatoes, green onions and mozzarella. Pour vinaigrette over the salad and toss to coat. Cover and let sit for 15 minutes or up to 2 hours. Before serving toss the basil over the salad and stir.

Makes 6 servings.

Source: Hannelore Holland, Somethin’s Cookin’

Potato Salad

1 bag small red potatoes

6 green onions, sliced thin

½ pound bacon, cooked crisp in oven

Salt and pepper, to taste

Kraft Ranch dressing

Boil red potatoes whole in salted water until soft to touch. Do not overcook. Drain and cool potatoes, then dice. Top with crumbled bacon and green onions, salt and pepper. Add enough ranch dressing to coat well. Taste for salt and pepper and add more if needed.